Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Best Week Ever here at Walt Disney World! This week we’re visiting Epcot for a quick update and an awesome concert. Then we’re heading to Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for more fun. Let’s get going! The weather could not have been more perfect this weekend. There wasn’t a cloud in the […]

The weather could not have been more perfect this weekend. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the air was cool and crisp. It was even cold in the evenings! If you take a look at the photo on the left you’ll notice the fountain in front of Spaceship Earth isn’t working. It actually hasn’t been for a while. Our joke has been it’s the mosquito breeding exhibit. Hopefully they’re able to repair it soon.

Want to see more exciting updates like this from around Disney World? Click to read more!

Walking through Future World I was so struck by the bright, blue sky. It’s so seldom that we don’t have a sky full of clouds. It reminded me of the kind of skies you find in Disneyland. For anyone not familiar, the photo below is of an area just between Spaceship Earth and the Fountain of Nations.

The real reason we’d stopped into Epcot was to see Dennis DeYoung. I wasn’t terribly familiar with him but my hubby insisted on seeing him. Wow, what a show! I think he might be the best performer yet during the Eat to the Beat Concert Series! We immediately decided to see all the concerts that night. The view of World Showcase Lagoon is very pretty from the waiting area for the American Gardens Theatre.

Here is just a short clip from one of the concerts. Dennis seemed to be having a lot of fun and was very engaged with fans. I saw him sign several autographs during then show in addition to the one during the video below.

After a night full of concerts there wasn’t much time for anything else, but Spaceship Earth looked even prettier on the way out!

Switching over to Animal Kingdom, this park is being slowly taken over by walls. It’s a little concerning that they haven’t mentioned what’s actually happening here because it feels like half the park is hiding behind construction walls. In addition to these below (at the park entrance) there are tons in Asia and Africa.

Speaking of Africa, on my way there I stopped into this gift shop and noticed a stunning view I’d been ignoring. Can you believe the detail just in a gift shop roof? The details in Animal Kingdom are amazing and I truly believe the park as a whole is underrated. Of course, this would make more sense a little closer to It’s Tough to be a Bug!

Just before entering Africa I noticed the enclosure I’d mentioned a few weeks ago has in fact become the new home for the cotton top tamarin. I actually think this is a little sad. Before they were on an island and while they were contained it gave the illusion that they weren’t trapped. Now they are truly inside an enclosure with what looks like wire mesh holding them in.

On the Kilimanjaro Safari you could tell that it was cold because the normal animals you see were mostly hiding. I assume they were somewhere warm and out of the wind. The black rhino was out pacing and oddly, several hippos were out of the water grazing. It must have been a little chilly to swim!

Several elephants were out and not bother by the cooler temperature. The big cats were not cooperating with me at all! Normally I’m able to get a decent photo of one of them if I ride a couple of times. Well, they were sprawled out napping in the sun every ride this weekend. Check out that lazy kitty!

While we were wandering around trying to decide what to do next we caught a whiff of something amazing and followed our noses. We ended up at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company looking at their long list of yummy loose leaf teas. I decided to try the green apple iced tea and it was wonderful! My hubby tried the honey vanilla rooibos hot tea and it smelled amazing! This was a great treat on a cool day.

Of course, we stopped in to see Flights of Wonder and the show was excellent. Several of the birds were misbehaving a bit and missing their marks. I wonder if it had to do with the chilly weather?

I decided to try out the 240 frames per second slow motion on my iPhone. I always think it’s amazing when the doves fly in and this really captured it.

Next we stopped by to see the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Apparently the tigers had heard about my bad luck with the lions earlier in the day and decided to help me out. There were several broken pumpkins around that I assume they’d played with to celebrate Halloween and few days before.

The bird house at the end of the Maharajah Jungle Trek is my favorite part. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed right here at park opening. The birds are socialized and as long as you’re quiet they’ll come right up to you. However, this late in the day it was very full and very loud meaning that most the birds were hiding up in the trees.

It was already well after lunch time at this point and I still wanted to hit the Disney’s Hollywood Studiosbefore calling it a day so I headed toward the exit. I noticed even more new Christmas merchandise! Keep an eye out – I’ll have a post on Christmas goodies coming out tomorrow. (Sorry for the delay – I had it in when promised but with so many excellent writers on staff it took a little while to get scheduled.)

Also, if the original food magnets weren’t enough for you there are now even more! The down side is they are still $12.95. But can you really put a price on having a Mickey waffle on your fridge?

New Walt Disney World merchandise is also turning up. (Pictured left. Remember, you can click on any photo to see it larger) The odd thing is that this new merchandise doesn’t have a year listed on it. I’ve seen very limited items that actually say 2015. I wonder if Disney is getting away from dated merchandise in favor of something more generic? Also, the first Made With Magic items have started to appear in the parks. So far I’ve only seen the Minnie Mouse ears at $25. I’m holding out for a magic wand!

Next we hopped over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. As you may have heard, it’s closing on November 6th and I wanted to get video for you before it’s gone forever. It was just after 3pm and I walked up ready to wait however long it took. As I approached the cast member handed me a sheet of paper telling me to come back at 7pm and explained there is no standby line. Wow, just no answer other than we’ll see you in four hours for this ten minute long show? I can see why it’s closing….

Undeterred, we walked over by the Frozen Sing-A-Long and were once again told without a FastPass+ we were out of luck and were sent to a FastPass+ kiosk. There they told us that four hours before closing the entire PARK was out of FastPasses and many shows would already be filling their last seating at that time. When we asked what we were supposed to do they suggested The Magic of Disney Animation orWalt Disney: One Man’s Dream.

I think anyone reading knows that I stay very positive about these things and generally don’t have a bad thing to say about Disney, but what a disappointment! It’s a very dark time at the Studios, my friends. Unless you have your Fastpasses I would suggest you don’t bother. I saw many, many frustrated people trying to figure out some way to spend their time. The line at guest relations was so long I didn’t bother getting in it.

The silver lining is that this is still Frozen central! I noticed a new Christmas themed Olaf ($13.95) and a new Frozen Jim Shore figure ($65).

With nothing much to fill the next several hours we didn’t make it to see Jack Sparrow. I know there have to be big plans for this park, but I just wish they’d let us in on the secret. Today it just feels like it’s slowly going out of business one attraction at a time without giving anything back. Next on the list to possibly go: this hat?

One things for sure, eventually this park will be getting a Starbucks and that is one line worth waiting in.

That’s everything for this week. Now let’s see what you can expect if you’re visiting next week.

Crowd Calendar: Crowds don’t look terrible except for one spike on the 9th. Be sure to keep an eye on party dates and plan accordingly.

Weather: The weather should be great with high in the mid 70’s and lows in the 50’s.

Remember: November 10th is the last day of the Food & Wine Festival. Expect extra crowds at Epcot as everyone stops by one last time.

Here’s my top tip for this week: You can’t trust Florida weather! This is the time of year where the forecast changes drastically and often. It’s a good idea to come prepared with light clothing but also some cold weather gear, just in case. If you find yourself freezing without a coat it’s worth paying for a cab ride to the Orlando Premium Outlets. There you can get a quality coat for less than the price of a Disney sweatshirt.

Do you have any news I missed or any requests for coverage next week? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, and thanks so much for reading! I’m wishing all of you the Best Week Ever, until next time!

The Saturday Six is a weekly look at the most interesting, most fun, and sometimes even the most outrageous things within the theme park world that we all love so much. Whether it’s checking out the World’s Largest Hard Rock Cafe in CityWalk, a look at Marvel Superhero Island in Islands of Adventure, or even going to Mickey’s […]

This week’s Saturday Six looks at the Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. An annual event that originally started in 1995, Food & wine has grown each year and has become one of Orlando’s signature events of the fall. Over 25 marketplaces are placed around World Showcase and each bring their own unique food and drink offerings that offer guests the amazing opportunity to challenge their culinary palate and experience dining opportunities that just don’t exist in the theme park world during the rest of the year. But that’s not all, Food & Wine has a whole bunch of other stuff going on at the same time including seminars, concerts, and even the chance to meet celebrities from the world of food and wine. We loved this year’s festival but what are our favorite parts? For that we need to start the list~!

(Remember, you can click on any picture to see the full size version)

The Cranberry Bog (presented by Ocean Spray)

#6 – The Cranberry Bog

I don’t know what it is about it, but I am completely mesmerized by the cranberry bog. At night, it actually looks like it could fit in well over at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. During the day Ocean Spray has representatives who will guide guests through the process or harvesting cranberries. Here you’ll find out that cranberries grow on lung running vines and Ocean Spray (along with other cranberry farmers) use rake-like tools to brush them into water. Because the cranberries have air pockets in them, they float, so the berries are then collected en masse. I love watching people wade through the cranberry bog and continue to try to wrap my mind around the fact that something like this exists in the real world. It also will allow me to drop some knowledge bombs during my next Thanksgiving dinner when I explain where the cranberry sauce comes from and – as a bonus – there are free packs of Craisins nearby the bog at the Ocean Spray booth.

The GoGos!

# 5 – Eat to the Beat Concert Series

Throughout the Food and Wine festival there are bands playing live for the Eat to the Beat concert series. While some of the names may not be recognizable at first, you’ve more than likely heard the bigger hits from almost every group playing. Whether it’s Hanson’s “Mmmbop,” Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On,” or – one of my secret shame favorites – the GoGo’s “Our Lips Are Sealed,” you’ll be finding yourself singing along to many pop hits. Each band plays three shows per night (5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM) at the America Gardens Theatre.

Our favorites include the Food & Wine logo which has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as three chefs, a pin that included Figment from Journey into Imagination, and various items including a cookbook and print that featured a whimsical chef. There are a lot of items to buy, many of which are high quality and worth checking out. While there is merchandise throughout the festival, the best bet to see everything is to go to the Festival Welcome Center (the former Wonders of Life pavilion.)

This is actually made of chocolate.

# 3 – The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar

Hosted by the Ghiradelli chocolate company, this exhibit made its debut during last year’s festival and makes a triumphant return this year. Just an awesome experience. One of the highlights is seeing several almost unbelievable sculptures created by Disney chefs that are made completely out of chocolate. These dioramas were straight out of a high end dessert show on the Food Network. My favorites included a western scene from Grand Floridan chefs, a bungalo-on-the-beach piece by chefs of the Boardwalk resort, and a Lion King themed one from Hollywood Studios chefs. Was completely blown away by the overall artistry.

Any menu promising a “liquid candy bar” gets a thumbs up from me.

The Chocolate Experience also has their own version of a Food & Wine booth offering two choices of wines and Ghiradelli drinking chocolate. The drinking chocolate is advertised as being “like a liquid Candy Bar.” Now if someone can just invent a liquid peanut butter I’ll be all set. The ball is in your court Reese’s…

The Chocolate Experience itself is included with your Epcot admission and is located in the Welcome Center. While in the Welcome Center you’ll also have the opportunity to check out the other offerings including The Art of Food & Wine area (where you can look at – and purchase – prints and original art), book and wine signings from celebrity chefs and winemakers, and check out if any of the various demonstrations or seminars catch your interest. Keep in mind that most of these seminars have a separate charge including a Mixology one for $15 that piqued my interest after watching the show Bar Rescue on Spike.

BraufactuM Darkon from the Brewer’s Collection booth

# 2 – The “Wine”

I’m using “wine” in quotation marks because I’m more of a beer man myself, but regardless if you happen to be a person who partakes in alcohol you are going to be quite happy with this year’s festival. Not only does every booth offer their own alcohol selections, but there are a couple booths dedicated completely to alcohol including Brewer’s Collection and Craft Beers. I’m a huge fan of beer flights (I like to think of them as “alcohol sliders”) and greatly enjoyed the beer flight at Craft Beers that included Dogfish Head Brewery Namaste, Abita Brewing Company Fall Fest, Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Shandy, and Florida Beer Company Devil’s Triangle. After their work on brewing Hog’s Head Ale for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Duff Beer for Springfield USA over at Universal, I will always support anything made by Florida Brewing Company.

Craft beer selections from Block and Hans at the American Adventure pavilion. USA! USA! USA!

At the Brewer’s Collection we tried BraufactuM Darkon. This was a dark, malty beer with hints of chocolate or coffee. Great taste, and but it’s generally geared towards people who prefer darker and stronger beers and actually reminded of the Duff Dry I had in Moe’s Tavern. At the Desserts & Champagne booth we tried a glass of Chandon Nectar Imperial. I would describe this glass of champagne as having a touch of sweetness with an overall fruity taste and crisp finish. We finished up in Scotland and tried a cup of Innis & Gunn Original. This was a reddish brown color beer, medium strength with hints of oak and what we assumed to be scotch or whiskey. All things considered, we’re going to give our Best In Show award to Innis & Gunn Original as the oaky flavor and the whisky/scotch finish was something we’ve never experienced in a beer before.

# 1 – THE FOOD!

Youki Tofu (Japan)

This is what we all came for, right? The marvelous food selections that arrive every year courtesy of Food & Wine. It’s a foodie’s dream and a Weight Watchers nightmare, but we love eating Around the World. Many of our favorites are back, including the Kalua pork sliders in Hawaii, Ireland’s Kerrygold cheese sampler, and our one Must Do every year, Germany’s roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll. However, this year we were on a mission. We set out to see how many food selections were available to vegetarians and found out there were actually quite a bit this year. We even wrote a blog about it: Eating Vegetarian at the 2013 Food and Wine Festival.

Vegetarian or not, you can’t go wrong with the spinach and paneer cheese pocket in Africa, the griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey over in Greece, and Terra’s chili Colorado with house-made chips and cashew cheese. Scotland’s vegetarian haggis is certainly a novelty item, but to us came across as little more than a glorified veggie burger (however the “neeps and tatties” sides are rather good.)

Discovery Passport

We couldn’t leave without trying a couple meat dishes, and can give big thumbs up to the Florida Local booth’s grass-fed beef slider, Belgium’s potato and leek waffle with braised beef, and the spicy Kimchi dog from South Korea. So many great choices throughout the Marketplace this year that it has us already looking forward to our next trip.

This article barely scratches the surface of everything you’ll experience at this year’s Food & Wine. Be sure to pick up a Discovery Passport before you begin your journey, as it lists all the countries, has all the menus (along with a convenient checklist to mark off all the items you have tried), and has a spot where you can receive a stamp from each country you visit! Stop by the Festival Information Center after you enter the park to pick one up.